Storage battery post clamp



April 26, 1932. H. c. M CLEARY STORAGE BATTERY POST CLAMP Filed April 2, 1931 INVENTOR.

3. m ATTORNEY Patented Apr."26, 1932 mm: c. mccnmnr, or wasmne'ron', msrnrcr or comnmu.

STORAGE BATTERY POST CLAMP Application fled April 2, 1931. Serial No. 527,303.

"This. invention contemplates improvements over my former invention, for which I have filed application for Letters Patent of the-United States, on November 8, 1930, Battery connector,Serial No. 494,372.

i This invention relates to an improved battery post clamp, and more particularly to a clamp adapted to be applied to a post of a storage battery for engagement by a terminal atthe end of a conductor wire. One object of the invention is to provide a clamp of this character which may be very easily and quickly applied to a battery post, and

' which when in place will very firmly grip the 16 battery post, and not be liable to slip out of" proper engagement therewith.

Another object of the invention is to so form the device that it may be applied to battery posts of difierent diameters, and when properly adjusted it may grip the post. An-

other object of the invention is to permit grease to be ap lied about the post within the clamp, therehy creating a good electrical connection between the clamp and post, and eliminating the likelihood of corrosion when the battery is not in use.

Another object of the invention is to so form this clamp that a wire terminal may be disconnected therefrom without releasing the clamp from a post, and further permit the clamp to be ap lied to or removed. from a battery post wit out releasing it from a wire terminal. Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp for a battery post which is simple in construction andve strong and durable. Additional objects an advantages will be apparent from a. reading of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanyin sheet of drawings, and outlined in the su joined claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein the same part is designated by the same reference numeral, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the improved clamp applied to a battery post and a wire connected to the clamp.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the clamp.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the clamp and post, taken on line 44 of Fig. 3; and,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken vertically through the clamp along line 55 of Fig. 3.

- The battery post connected-at the numeral 6 represents a post of a conventional construction, such as found upon storage batteries. This post may be of any length and diameter desired, and may represent either a positive or a negative post. Most batteries have the 00 positive post larger than the negative post. The clamp which is indicated in general b the numeral 7 has a body portion 8, whic is in the form of an inverted cup, and is open at its bottom. This cup tapers downwardly, 66 i as shown clearly in Figures 2 and 3, and is provided with a hollow side extension 9 forming a chamber in which is disposed an arm or lever 10, pivoted at its upper end upon a pinll, engaged through side walls of a dome 12 rgsing from the side extension or housmg A jaw 13 which is arcuate in shape as shown in Figure 4 fits within the cup 8, and from this jaw extend arms 14 which project. 70 into the housing or chamber 9, at opposite sides of the lever 10, to which they are pivotally connected by a pin 15. It will thus be seen that the jaw may have jolting movementrelative to the lever and may be moved transversely in the cup through the medium of the lever. The lower portion of the lever is notched to form a heel 16 extending away from the arms 14, and this heel has an upper edged face 17 which extends diagonally and is intended to be engaged by the inner end of an adjusting screw 18. 4

This adjusting screw is threaded through a bearing 19 formed in the upper portion of the housing 9, and adjacent its outer end there is a small rod or pin 20 which projects from opposite sides of the screw and constitutes a hand hold or key by means of which the screw may be easily-grasped and rotated.

In order to permit the clamp to be used in connection with storage batteries having posts of diiierent sizes, and also permit it to be applied either to the large or small posts of a battery, the cup has portions 21 of its walls internally thickened, and these internally thickened portions have fiat inner faces extending in converging relation to each other, as shown in Figure 4. By this arrange ment a battery post about which the cup is disposed may have contact with the converging faces of the thickened portions 21, which may be referred to as stationary jaws, and the arcuate jaw 13 will extend circumferentially of the post at the opposite side thereof from the jaws 21. I

The jaw 13 may fit snugly about the post as shown in Figure 4, or merely have contact therewith for a portion of the jaw. After the clamp has been applied, the adjusting 15 screw 18 is tightened and as it moves inwardly it urges the lever toward the post. This will cause the jaw 13 to be moved into close contactin engagement with the post, and the post will be firmly gripped between the jaws 13 and 21.

" In. view of the fact that the slidingportion of the clamp is in the form of a cup, pe troleum jelly or any suitable grease may be placed in this cup before the clamp is applied 5 to a battery post, thereby causing the portion of the post about which the clamp fits to be coveredwith grease and corroding prevented.

A wire 22 has been shown provided with a terminal 23 of a conventional construction,

.3 having an eye 24 to fit about a threaded stem 25 rising from the top of the clamp, and the stem carries a winged nut 26 which when tightened will firmly hold the eye of the wired terminal in close contacting engagement with the top of the clamp. It will be understood that while the wire has been shown connected with the clamp by a terminal engaging about a stem, other means may be provided for engaging a wire with the clamp, such for instance, as providing a sleeve at one side of the cup 8,'in which an end ofa wire may be secured in any desired manner.

Although I have herein described a single complete gesting various alternative details, it should be understood that numerous modifications might easily be devised by workers skilled in the art to which this case relates, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States is:

1. A wire connector for a battery post comprising a cup-shaped bottom, With a hollow side. extension, forming a chambere'ngaging with the interior of said body, a lever in said chamber mounted for movement toward and 0 away from said body, a jaw connected with said lever and disposed in said body, .and means for moving said lever toward the body, whereby said jaws may be moved into close contacting engagement with a battery post 66 fitted into the body, and the post firmly pivoted to said lever,-an

between said jaw and the embodiment of my invention, suggripped between said jaws and the walls of the body 2. A battery post clamp comprising a body open at its bottom and having a side chamber engaging with the interior of the body, a lever in said side chamber pivotally mounted therein for movement toward and away fromsaid body, a jaw in saidbody means for moving said lever toward the body whereby a battery post fitting into the body may be gripped walls of the body.

3. A battery post clamp comprising a body open at its bottom and having a side chamber connected with the interior of the body, portions of the walls of the bodyat the opposite side thereof from the, side chamber being formed with converging inner faces, a lever suspended in said side chamber and-pivotally mounted, a jaw in said body pivoted to the lower portion of said lever, and a set screw engaged through a threaded opening formed in said side chamber and having its inner end bearing against said lever to urge the lever toward said body, whereby a battery may be grippedbetween the-jaw and the converging faces of the body.

4. A battery postv clamp comprising a body open at its bottom and having its walls formed with inner facesconverging upwardly transversely of the body, said body being provided atits opposite side from the converging faces with a sidechamber opening into the body, a lever pivotally mounted in said side chamber, a jaw in said body having arms extending therefrom into said side chamber and pivoted to said-lever, and an ad usting screw engaging through a threaded opening formed in said side chamber andat its inner end bearing against said chamber.

5. A battery post clamp comprising a body open, atits bottom to receive a battery post, and having its walls formed with flat inner faces converging transversely of the body, said body havingv a side chamber engaging'with the body at the opposite side thereof from the converging faces, a lever in said side chamberpivoted at'its upper end,

a aw in said body having arms extending" into said side chamber and pivoted to the lower end of said lever, the lower portion of the lever being enlarged to prov de a side extension having an face, and an adjusting screw threaded through said side chamber with its'inner end bearing against the inclined edged face of said lever, whereby the lever may be movedtoward said body and cause a battery post to be gripped between said jaw'and the converging faces of the body.

6. A battery post clamp comprising a body open at its bottom to receive a battery post and provided with stationary jaws convergingupwardly transversely of-the body,

inclined upper edged:

post fitted into said body said body having a side extension engaging with the interior of the body at the opposite side thereof from the stationary jaws, a lever pivoted in said side extension, a movable jaw in said body pivoted to said lever, an adjusting screw engaging said lever to move the same toward said body and cause a-post to be gripped between the pivoted jaw and the stationary jaws, and means to connect a Wire terminal with said body.

HARRY C. MQCLEARY. 

